Chargers get 24-hour extension to lift blackout

The Chargers hope that the preseason helped them prepare for the regular season in more ways than one. Otherwise, their so-called “White Hot Monday Night” could be blacked out.

After receiving a 24-hour extension of the deadline for allowing both preseason games to be televised locally, the Chargers have received a 24-hour extension to lift the blackout for the regular-season opener against the Texans.

Roughly 3,500 general admission tickets remain unsold for Monday’s game. Both extensions during the preseason resulted in enough tickets being sold.

Typically, an extension isn’t granted unless arrangements have been made for the team and/or its sponsors to purchase the unsold tickets at 34 cents on the dollar. Which makes the sense of urgency created by the extension something other than true.

Selling out all home games will be something other than easy if the Chargers can’t sell out a Monday-night opener against a playoff team.

The good news for the league is that, with less than 48 hours to go until Sunday’s slate of 13 games, it appears that no other games will be blacked out locally for Week One. If the 24-hour extension trend holds, the Texans-Chargers game won’t be blacked out, either.

I think the blackouts are stupid. NFL tickets are very expensive. I wouldn’t waste my money on a NFL team that sucks.

raiderman81 says:Sep 6, 2013 9:36 PM

Don’t worry us raiders will be scrambling to sell tickets as well for the home opener. so frustrating especially when I live 2 hours from the stadium but im still considered in the blackout zone… grrrr

I’m no business man but why don’t the spanos just by the remaining tickets. The money goes back to them anyways. But whatever this seems to be the norm for my team. Until we get a win streak going or maybe make the playoffs the fair weather fans won’t be die hards.

bennyb82 says:Sep 6, 2013 9:38 PM

If they cannot sell out a Monday night game, then maybe they should not have one?

The San Diego Super Chargers are a joke. Almost on par with the Raiders.

cmdrsmooth says:Sep 6, 2013 10:17 PM

All blackouts due is keep the NFL from making more NFL and local fans. Not everyone can afford a game or is desperate enough to go because of a blackout.

This isn’t 1975. Stop being greedy N.F.L.

jayniner says:Sep 6, 2013 10:29 PM

So let’s get this straight:

– There are 3,500 unsold tickets remaining
– At $50 per ticket(est. face value) that’s $175,000.00
– At .34 cents on the dollar, that’s $59,500.00
– Ownership and sponsors have the opportunity to spend around $60k to prevent a blackout and lose out on perhaps millions in ad revenue, merchandise and any other revenue that comes from the game being televised.

My PHD(Public High School Diploma) may not have been in finance, but I sure as hell can understand that a cost of about $60k to the team far outweighs the loss of millions in revenue…

The Chargers franchise wants a new stadium, but the city of San Diego doesn’t want to pay for it.
San Diego Chargers fans refuse to attend games, leading to frequent blackouts.

Meanwhile, the city of Los Angeles wants a football franchise and has investors willing to pay for a new stadium.
Games in LA would rarely be blacked out, and fans in San Diego could conveniently watch the games on TV with the team being based in the same time zone.

Interesting…of more significant importance. The Chargers and one of the most respected developers in the nation, Colony Capital LLC, are working together to build a stadium in the East Village in San Diego. I thought Pro Football Talk might like to know since they are so interested in the stadium developments.

The Spanos family is pathetic. Why should I buy tix and cheer for a team that never contends? The owners aren’t in the business to win championships, just to make money. From the top down, all executives are family. How do you expect to have a good organization if you can’t bring in fresh talent and new ideas?

joetoronto says:Sep 7, 2013 6:06 AM

bleedgreen says:
Sep 6, 2013 11:25 PM
Seriously, who can’t sell out a Monday Night home opener?
***************************************************
That’s a hell of a question, I don’t know that its ever happened before.

One thing is for sure, this team needs to move and the sooner the better.

People are stupid. They think we come out to see other players and other “playoff” teams. F#@& those teams we want to see OUR team win! Dont you idiots get it? People probably arent going in san diego bc theyre rebuilding and will most likely get blown out. If im a Chargers fan and I lived down the block maybe ill go tailgate but I aint spending $100 to watch my team get blown out when I can eat some wings somewhere that doesnt charge $8-12 a beer.

mrlaloosh says:Sep 7, 2013 11:35 AM

To all you geniuses who are pushing for San Antonio to get a team, NEVER GONNA HAPPEN! That’s Cowboys territory and Jerry Jones would never allow another NFL team in Texas. NEVER.

clemenza58 says:Sep 7, 2013 12:26 PM

I personally believe you go out and support your team, win or lose. If you are a true fan, you’ll go to the games in the down years too. If I was a Chargers fan, I would be concerned that the team is having a hard time selling out the home opener. If you can’t sell that game out, what’s it going to be like for the other seven home games?

If San Diego isn’t going to fully support their team, the die-hards better hope that the Raiders return to L.A. as soon as possible. The owners are talking about putting two teams there and neither would come via expansion. And consider this: The NFL wouldn’t allow the Cowboys and the Texans to be in the same conference when Houston became the 32nd franchise. It’s very likely the AFC team that ends up in L.A. will be either the Raiders or the Chargers. They are the only two teams in the AFC that can get out of their leases after this season. L.A. is not going to be without NFL football forever.

Go out and support your team before it’s too late, San Diego.

bwoeller says:Sep 7, 2013 2:23 PM

Here’s what I’d like to know… why can’t I watch a local Chargers game, when my taxes pay for the stadium, PLUS I pay DirecTV hundreds of dollars for “Every Game, Every Sunday?” WTF NFL?

I personally believe you go out and support your team, win or lose. If you are a true fan, you’ll go to the games in the down years too. If I was a Chargers fan, I would be concerned that the team is having a hard time selling out the home opener. If you can’t sell that game out, what’s it going to be like for the other seven home games?

If San Diego isn’t going to fully support their team, the die-hards better hope that the Raiders return to L.A. as soon as possible. The owners are talking about putting two teams there and neither would come via expansion. And consider this: The NFL wouldn’t allow the Cowboys and the Texans to be in the same conference when Houston became the 32nd franchise. It’s very likely the AFC team that ends up in L.A. will be either the Raiders or the Chargers. They are the only two teams in the AFC that can get out of their leases after this season. L.A. is not going to be without NFL football forever.

Go out and support your team before it’s too late, San Diego.

– – – –

A couple things:

One, being a “true fan” is utterly subjective. People enjoy their past-times as they see fit. Additionally, both LA and San Diego have substantially more to offer their residents, than most any other locale in the country. Watching pro sports isn’t the only thing for us, like it is in so many other cities.

Second, you’re not correct about the possible LA NFL market. The Jags, and especially the Rams, are easily in the position to make a move to a city like LA. However, it’s foolish to assume that any team is moving. The NFL itself has indicated that it would prefer to have two expansion teams in LA. Further, the politics, logistics and costs are STILL prohibitive here. The downtown deal is all but stalled. The Industry deal has never been looked at favorably. Chavez Ravine would involve getting in bed with McCourt, and no one in the NFL wants that to deal with.

People outside of southern California have way too simplistic a view of the situation, as a whole. If I were to bet on it, I’d say that there still won’t be an NFL team in LA in the next ten-years.

There are many knuckleheads making comments about this. Okay, but consider that the San Diego fans are MAKING A STATEMENT! “Give us a winning team, or we wont support you”! It’s not the fans that are the problem, it’s the Chargers organization that is the problem. give us something to cheer about and we will come to the games. It’s that ez. as for the knuckleheads……act as if you have some smarts.

RichardRider says:Sep 7, 2013 7:19 PM

If the Chargers move to LA, there’ one big advantage for San Diego fans that’s seldom considered. San Diego Chargers draw from the 3.1 million people in the county. Not from adjoining areas.

But the LA Chargers would be the team for close to 20 million people in that greater LA area.